Account
Jan 19, 2017
Jan 28, 2024
Taylor
Machado
29
21
62 inches
64 inches
145 lbs
165 lbs
White / Caucasian
Female
In the spring of 2016, a sense of duty and adventure filled the life of 21-year-old Taylor Kayjean Machado. A native of California, she had enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 2013 after graduating from Paso Robles High School and was serving as a Petty Officer 3rd Class. By April, she was a gunner's mate aboard the USS Carter Hall, a dock landing ship based in Virginia. On April 9, 2016, while the ship was conducting routine training exercises for an upcoming deployment approximately 60 nautical miles off the coast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, Taylor Machado vanished. She was discovered to be missing from the vessel at around 4:20 p.m., creating a void of information and the beginning of a heart-wrenching mystery for her family and fellow service members. The response to Taylor's disappearance was immediate and extensive. The Navy, in conjunction with the U.S. Coast Guard, launched a massive search-and-rescue operation. For 72 agonizing hours, eight ships, along with various aircraft, scoured an area of nearly 22,388 square nautical miles of the Atlantic Ocean. The water temperatures at the time were in the low sixties to low seventies. Despite these exhaustive efforts, no trace of the young sailor was ever found. After three days of unwavering searching, with heavy hearts, officials made the difficult decision to suspend the operation, leaving a profound sense of loss and a multitude of unanswered questions. The disappearance of Taylor Machado remains an unresolved and sorrowful case. Originally from Paso Robles, California, she had reported to the USS Carter Hall in May of 2014. The Naval Criminal Investigative Service took charge of the investigation into her disappearance, a standard procedure in such incidents. While the official investigation is ongoing, she is presumed to have been lost at sea. The circumstances leading to her going missing from the ship have never been fully explained, leaving her family, friends, and community to grapple with the ambiguity and pain of not knowing what happened. The case serves as a somber reminder of the unforeseen dangers that can arise, even during routine military operations, and the enduring ache of a loved one's unexplained absence.
Apr 09, 2016
Virginia Beach
Virginia
Virginia Beach City
23459
19286
Naval Criminal Investigative Service
Virginia Beach
Virginia
,
2016-04-09
Naval Criminal Investigative Service
Brown
Brown
Brown
06/13/2026
